


A Not So Empty Galaxy

by Hodgefics



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Can't resist Thane, Drabble, F/M, Feelings Realization, First Meetings, Friendship, Jealousy, Minor Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, No Shepard Without Vakarian, Supportive Garrus, These idiots had bad timing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:09:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27200914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hodgefics/pseuds/Hodgefics
Summary: Garrus isn't too happy with Thane and Shepard's budding relationship. Shepard calls him out on his sour mood and they both end up admitting some long-held secrets.
Relationships: Female Shepard & Garrus Vakarian, Thane Krios/Female Shepard
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	A Not So Empty Galaxy

“Hey, Garrus. Have you inventoried the weapons from the last shipment?” Shepard asks as she steps into the main battery.

Garrus’s shoulders tense at the sound of her voice, but he does not turn around as he responds, “Haven’t gotten around to it. Sorry.” 

Shepard raises an eyebrow at his short tone. 

“Do we have a problem?” She asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

Garrus sighs and drops his talons from the console in front of him. 

“No, we don’t. It’s just...are you sure we can trust the drell?” 

Shepard’s eyes narrow at him. “The drell? You mean Thane? He’s a valuable addition to our team. What’s really on your mind?”

Garrus shrugs as he starts drumming his talons on the desk beside him. 

“I don’t know, Shepard. It’s just hard for me to accept that you and he are….well, you know. I guess I thought there was a moment where maybe we could have been together.”

Shepard’s eyes widen. She had never expected Garrus to acknowledge his feelings for her, and Garrus seemed equally surprised that he managed to get the words out. The sudden emotional charge in the room has her nervously touching her neck and Garrus fidgeting with his armor. 

The two stand in front of each other, each distracted with their own thoughts for a few moments before Shepard builds the courage to speak again. 

“It wasn’t just you, Garrus. I’ve had feelings for you since we met on the Citadel all those years ago. I thought there was a time for us, too--like after I found you on Omega, but then all of that stuff went down with Sidonis, and I felt like I didn’t know you.” 

Shepard’s voice trails off as she looks down at the floor and Garrus realizes his decisions had hurt her more than he’d known. Sure, he had had to deal with Shepard’s death and the horrible aftermath of trying to live in the galaxy without her, but at least she was still the same person when she came back. It must have been hard, he thinks, to come back to a world where the friends you had trusted with your life one day were practically strangers the next. 

Shepard studies Garrus as he remains unexpressive and her eyes fill with concern.

“When I left on the mission to find Thane, I was angry with you. I was exhausted, I was hurt, and suddenly we were after this assassin who spared the workers and was clever enough to follow us as we followed him. I hadn’t even met him and I was already fascinated with him. There was this feeling in my heart that we were going towards something important, and that feeling was solidified the moment I saw Thane--even more so when he touched my hand. I remember he smirked when I jumped at the spark between our hands and I knew I was done for. It was him.” She says, a small smile gracing her usually serious features.

Garrus feels his heart clench as he sees the amount of love Shepard has in her eyes as she talks about Thane. He knows that he and Shepard would never have worked with him being the impatient hothead that she had first met, but he had always held a certain amount of hope that they would find their way together in the end. 

As Shepard silently recalls more details of the events of her relationship with Thane, the memory of a particular day leaves her with a frown. 

Garrus tilts his head curiously at her.

Shepard meets Garrus’s gaze and waves her hand to dismiss his unspoken questions. 

“It’s nothing, really. I was just thinking about how rude and mean I was to him in the beginning. I tried so hard to push my feelings down, and when he asked me to help him find his son, I asked him, ‘Why do you need my help?’. He told me that he didn’t  _ need _ my help, but that he  _ wanted  _ it. It felt like someone had punched me in the gut--I had no idea how much my actions were hurting him. I’m lucky that he was so patient, you know? He obviously knew of my feelings way before I was ready to admit them. And when we were on the Citadel, he brought me into his world. He made jokes and smirked and watched me out of the corner of his eyes as I stood dumbstruck the whole time. I had no idea he had that side to him. And it all felt so natural with Thane. After that, there was no more hiding my feelings from him. Not that I would have wanted to, anyway.”

Garrus nods. He has seen Shepard and Thane together on the battlefield and he has to admit that they work together seamlessly. Thane is always there to watch Shepard’s back...and he never questions Shepard’s orders in the field. The thought brings a small smirk to Garrus’s face and he chuckles as he pictures the many times Shepard’s turned around to yell at him in the middle of a mission after he pissed her off one too many times. 

“Thane’s a good guy, Shepard. And I’m glad you’re happy.” Garrus says quietly. 

Shepard smiles warmly at him. “Thank you, Garrus. That means a lot to me. And you’re still the best sniper I know--but don’t tell Thane I told you that, though.”

Garrus grins cheekily. “Your secret’s safe with me. And just so you know, if he ever hurts you, I’ve always thought I could make for a pretty great assassin.”

Shepard rolls her eyes. “Maybe you should stick to your calibrations, Garrus."

Shepard glances at the time on her datapad and throws Garrus an apologetic look. “I’ve got to head to the base for a meeting. I’ll talk to you later, alright?” 

“You know where to find me,” Garrus says with a nod. 

Shepard leaves the battery with a wave in his direction. 


End file.
